Paul’s speech, which was academic in tone and reflective on his years serving as a Congressman, claimed he never faltered in his original mission.

“My goals in 1976 were the same as they are today,” he said. “Promote peace and prosperity by a strict adherence to the principles of individual liberty.”

He repeated his usual criticism of both political parties in his hour-long speech, calling them, “authoritarian,” because they use force to compel citizens to follow their code of beliefs.

“Today the rule of law written in the constitution has little meaning for Americans especially the ones in Washington D.C.,” he said. “Both sides are authoritarian.”

The United States must pursue the cause of liberty in order to curtail the government and promote the conditions for individual liberty that are so desperately needed in this country, Paul said.

He specifically criticized the current trend of foreign policy and of interfering in, “wars we have no business in,” and which were not ordered by Congress.

In his conclusion he offered his five “greatest dangers that the American people face” which are: the continuous attack on our civil liberties that threaten the rule of law and our ability to resist the onrush of tyranny, the violent anti-Americanism that has engulfed the world because of interfering in wars we have no business in, our willingness to follow international directives to go to war instead of our own Congress, our financial political crisis as a consequence of debt and the world government takeover of U.S. sovereignty.

But Paul’s speech was not entirely doomsday gloom, he said there were many solutions to the current crisis of government in the United States.

“What a wonderful world it would be if everyone accepted the simple moral premise of rejecting all acts of aggression,” he said. “The retort to such a suggestion is always: it’s too simplistic, too idealistic, impractical, naïve, utopian, dangerous, and unrealistic to strive for such an ideal.”

But Paul remained adamant that it is possible.

Part of the solution, he said, would come from the homeschooling movement which will grow and become so strong that the United States will be forced to re-examine its system of education.

Another counter attack to government will come from the spread of the internet which will provide a true narrative to combat the agenda of the media, as long as the internet remains uncensored.

But the final and most important solution will come from a personal change of conviction.

“The #1 responsibility for each of us is to change ourselves with hope that others will follow,” he said. “This is of greater importance than working on changing the government; that is secondary to promoting a virtuous society. If we can achieve this, then the government will change.”